The Showdown with Prefect Alfred

"Prefect, Electra was killed by Ren." Hobbs cautiously glanced at the Prefect's expression, then steeled himself and repeated the words.

Bang!

Purple Divine Power surged in a wave, and the carved stone table instantly crumbled to dust. Alfred rose to his feet as if he hadn't noticed.

"Good. Very good!" Alfred's voice rose several notches, and a flash of lightning flickered between his brows. It had been a long time since he'd felt anger.

After a moment of silence, Alfred let out a breath and asked in a low voice, "Tell me the full story. Bring me the Combat Projection."

"Sir, here's the Combat Projection. Ren..."

Hobbs swiftly took out the Crystal Projection from his Spatial Ring and handed it to Alfred while beginning to report what had happened in the fight.

Alfred said nothing more. He merely listened to his steward's report and sent his Divine Sense into the projection, watching the entire battle closely and missing not a single detail.

When Alfred saw Ren use the White Silk Web in the final moment on the Battle Arena, a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes. But he soon returned to his usual calm. "You may leave."

"Yes, sir. Hobbs takes his leave." At Alfred's words, the white-haired steward Hobbs breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out of the courtyard.

"To use the Water Law Mysteries to such an extent... He certainly deserves to be called a genius. He seems considerably stronger than he was twenty million years ago—probably not much weaker than Purple Blood. No wonder he dared challenge me. But he's far too naive and arrogant. What a pity."

Alfred shook his head and clenched his fists, sentencing Ren to death in his mind.

Even by Alfred's standards, Ren was a once-in-a-hundred-million-year genius. He would have gladly taken someone like that under his wing. But Ren had killed Electra, and so he had to die. Electra represented Alfred himself—and the dignity of the Prefect of Liang'an.

Alfred put away the projection. After a moment's thought, he moved—and vanished from the courtyard.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and the final day of Ren's battles arrived.

"Ren! Ren! Ren!"

The moment the tenth day's battles began, earth-shaking cheers swept through the arena, louder than they had been on the previous days. Everyone knew that a new Hundred-Battle Victory champion would be born before their eyes that day.

Ren walked slowly to the center of the arena. Calmly, he watched the entrance and waited for his opponent.

A short while later, a red-haired, middle-aged man in a green robe entered the arena. He looked at Ren respectfully, then announced in a voice that rang throughout the venue:

"I forfeit!"

After saying those three words, the man bowed slightly to Ren and spoke in a flattering tone. "Lord Ren, I know I'm no match for you, so I won't waste your time. I came to the Battle Arena to fight strong opponents and hone myself, but after watching your battles, I've realized just how weak I am. I'll go back and cultivate in seclusion. I won't come out again for a hundred million years."

The middle-aged man in the green robe hurried off the Battle Arena, as if afraid Ren might casually strike him.

Ren was momentarily stunned, then couldn't help laughing wryly. Still, he understood. After his fight with Electra, his Hundred-Battle Victory was all but certain. In a sense, the battles over the following days were just there to fill out the schedule. It was hardly surprising that his opponents forfeited.

One after another, the second and third challengers stepped forward. Without exception, they all chose to forfeit. Ren's ten consecutive victories that day were practically secured in an instant, and seemed to have no real weight to them at all.

But not one of the million spectators in the stands objected. At that moment, they cared about only one thing: whether Ren would challenge the Prefect, as he had said he would.

As for Emmanuel, who had originally considered stepping into the arena, he had decided not to come after Electra's death. He didn't think Ren would dare kill him, but he couldn't win, and going up there would only humiliate him. When some of his clansmen looked at him as if he were too afraid to take the stage, Emmanuel could only keep a dark expression and say nothing.

"Whoosh!"

A young man in the green robes of the Bifu Army swiftly landed on the Battle Arena. Smiling, he walked over to Ren, respectfully took out a Spatial Ring, and handed it to him. Then he asked, "Lord Ren, congratulations on earning the Hundred-Battle Victory at the Liang'an City Battle Arena. Here's your reward: ten billion Inkstones. You've also earned the right to challenge the Prefect. You may challenge him within the next ten thousand years. Would you like to challenge the Prefect now?"

As soon as he finished speaking, one gaze after another fixed on Ren. Everyone was waiting for his answer. Ren had said during his fight with Electra that he had come to challenge the Prefect, but that hadn't been an official challenge. He could still change his mind now.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Ren remained composed and replied calmly, "I'll say it again: I came here to challenge the Prefect. So I, Ren, hereby formally challenge the Prefect of Liang'an!"

Ren's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present heard it clearly. At that moment, excitement filled every heart. To witness such an extraordinary event—a challenge to a Prefect—was exhilarating.

"Then I accept your challenge."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the stands. The venue, which had been filled with quiet chatter, fell silent in an instant. Everyone stared in astonishment toward the source of the voice.

"Whoosh—"

A blurred figure that had been sitting in the stands vanished in a flash and appeared at the center of the Battle Arena. The face hidden behind the haze was now revealed.

He was a middle-aged man with purple hair, dressed in a purple robe. Lightning flickered in his eyes, and his long hair streamed in the breeze, every strand crackling with lightning. His deep gaze settled on Ren.

"P-Prefect?" The soldier standing beside Ren gaped in shock. He'd once had the good fortune to see the Prefect from afar, so he recognized him at a glance. But he had never been this close to him before, and for a moment, he was rooted to the spot.

So this is Alfred, the Prefect of Liang'an? Ren studied Alfred, meeting his gaze without concealing his fighting spirit.

As Ren sized up Alfred, Alfred watched him in turn. The two stared at each other. Alfred gave a cold snort at the fighting spirit in Ren's eyes, then slowly spoke.

"Ten days from now, we'll settle this on the Pulebu Plain outside Liang'an City."

After speaking, Alfred's figure blurred for a moment, then vanished. Apart from Ren, who had been standing close by, not a single person present saw how he disappeared.